Winter Lesson Plans for Preschool: Snow and Ice
Planning engaging winter lesson plans for preschoolers has never been easier! This collection snow and ice activities fit perfectly into winter themes for preschool, and offers hands-on activities for little ones to explore a winter wonderland right in their classroom.
From exploring the properties of ice to creating playful snow-inspired crafts, these lesson plans are packed with clever winter activity ideas. Whether you’re looking for sensory play, science experiments, or fine motor activities, these snow and ice-themed plans will inspire curiosity and learning throughout the chilly season.
When it comes to winter lesson plans for preschoolers, a winter wonderland or snow theme or offer endless opportunities for hands-on exploration and discovery.
Imagine your preschoolers experimenting with melting ice, crafting shimmering snowflakes, or counting pretend snowballs. Each activity is designed specifically for preschoolers, fostering critical thinking and essential learning skills in a fun and engaging way.
Whether you’re focusing on sensory play, science, math, or art, these snow and ice lesson plans bring the magic of winter straight to your classroom!
Pair these weekly lesson plans with our winter friends printable preschool centers and you’ll have all your planning done for you!
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Winter Preschool Centers$8.00
Free Winter Lesson Plans for Preschoolers
Winter lesson plans are a fantastic way to bring seasonal fun into your classroom without the hassle of starting from scratch. There are so many fun learning activities that are inspired by the ice and snow, and even how animals survive in the winter.
And a winter theme is just one of many fun preschool themes to teach in December and January.
January Themes for Preschool
With snow on the ground (or in their imaginations), January and the winter season offers endless opportunities for creative and hands-on exploration. Here are some engaging January themes for preschool to kick off the new year:
- Winter Weather
- Hibernation and Animals in Winter
- Snowmen and Snowflakes
- Healthy Habits
- Arctic Animals
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- New Year’s Celebrations
Ice and Snow Winter Theme Activities
Don’t just stop at snowmen and snow flakes in your winter preschool theme. Use ice cubes, hues of blue, sparkly frost, and more to teach an entire week centered around the characteristics of winter in a colder climate.
Literacy Activities for an Ice & Snow Theme
Winter Pre-writing Practice – These pre-writing practice pages are ideal for developing the fine motor skills needed for proper pencil grip and writing strength. Younger preschoolers can use their fingers to trace the lines or guide a small object along the path, helping them build control and coordination.
This makes it a fantastic activity for toddlers as well! For older preschoolers with more advanced motor skills, encourage them to use a pencil to carefully trace the lines, refining their grip and precision.
Winter Letter Matching Puzzles – These winter themed letter matching puzzles are sure to be great fun and help master the letters of the alphabet. Simply print, cut, and match!
Encourage your preschooler to form a strategy when assembling the puzzle. Perhaps lay them all out and look for matching images. Or put a few in their hand and fan them out looking for the match. After a puzzle is pieced together, encourage your preschooler to share the letter and letter sound.
You’ll also love our free Winter Clothes Preschool Lesson Plans.
Children’s Books About Winter Time
Any preschool theme is made better with some high-quality picture books. Children love reading books that are rich in language and imagery. This is our go-to winter book list for preschoolers.
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- Messner, Kate (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Shaw, Gina (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Shulevitz, Uri (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Ehlert, Lois (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Smith, Sian (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Cassino, Mark (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Tiger Tales (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
Math and Science Activities for Winter Theme
Icicle Number Formation Cards – Make some chilly icicles and work on your preschooler’s fine motor and counting skills! Print these cards and grab some white and blue beads along with white pipe cleaners. Thread the beads to match the number on the card.
These counting cards help preschoolers practice number formation, but if you don’t have access to a printer, just make your own set on some index cards.
Rainbow Snowman Color Sorting – Practice important color sorting skills with these snowman color sorting mats. Using anything rainbow-colored (like beads, blocks, or pom poms), sort the colors onto the snowman mats. Be sure to read about all eight ways you can use these mats!
Melting Snowman Craft – Draw a series of circles of varying sizes. Color the edges icy blue and gray colors. Cut them out, then layer the circles to make a melting snowman. See this post for inspiration.
Winter Games and Indoor Activities
“Snow” Ball Games – Strengthen those hand muscles by crumpling up pieces of white paper to create playful “snowballs.” Gather the snowballs on the center of a large sheet, and have the kids work together to shake and wave the sheet until all the snowballs fly off.
This activity is especially fun with a group of preschoolers or siblings working as a team. Add some winter-themed music to make it even more exciting! For an extra challenge, encourage the kids to keep the snowballs bouncing on the sheet without letting them fall off. It’s a fantastic way to build teamwork, coordination, and self-control.
Get inspired with 35+ Indoor Snow-Day Activities!
Cold Day Read-a-thon – Chilly temperatures? Host a read-a-thon in your house! Build a fort or tent with pillows and blankets, maybe add some white or blue Christmas lights, and grab their favorite books. Snuggle up with a warm drink or snow-themed snack like these snowman popcorn cups, and just read for as long as your preschooler has interest. Leave the fort up so it’s available for more reading throughout the day.
Walk the “Snow” Line – Create a “safe path” using painter’s tape on the floor, and encourage your child to carefully walk along it. The snowplow has cleared this path, but there’s too much snow all around—so they must balance and go slowly!
Add fun challenges by asking your preschooler to tiptoe, walk sideways, or even hop along the line. For an imaginative twist, use toy cars, trucks, or animals to follow the path, helping them escape the snow. This activity is a great way to develop balance, coordination, and fine motor skills, all while engaging in creative play!
We have free weekly Hibernation Preschool Lesson Plans, too!
Social-Emotional Activities for an Ice & Snow Theme
Simon Says Following Chilly Directions – Simon Says is a great game to build your preschooler’s skills in following directions, listening, taking turns, and being a good sport. Play a snowy version of this game by including fun wintery actions like: shiver like you’re cold, roll a snowball with your hands, put on your winter jacket, and drink a cup of hot chocolate! Take turns and have your preschooler call out the directions for the next game.
Snowman Magic – Go to YouTube (or play the video embedded below) and listen to Snowman Magic by Katherine Tegen. After listening, discuss how George deals with his disappointment after finding that his snowman melted away. Ask your preschooler, “What does George do after his snowman melts away? How would you feel if your snowman melted? Why did the snowman melt?”
This conversation helps young children deal with discouragement and find ways to channel their feelings of disappointment. Ask your preschooler, “What could George do to make himself feel better after the snowman melts?” Encourage answers like get a hug, rebuild, and play with friends.
Fun Activities for Snow Theme in Preschool
Snowball Process Art – Grab some cotton balls, clothespins, white paint, and blue colored paper. Using the clothespin, grab a cotton ball and dip it in the paint. Then use the cotton ball to paint snowballs on the paper.
Alternatively–if you’re not adverse to mess–have your preschooler drop the pom pom to make a white “splat” on the paper that looks just like a snowball hitting something.
Sparkly Icy Paintings – Using blue, purple, and white paint, encourage your preschooler to swirl the paint together to make winter scenes. Once dry, paint on some liquid glue and then sprinkle Epsom salt (or even table salt) on top for a sparkly winter process art scene!
Paper Plate Snowman – Grab some paper plates and cotton balls to create this fluffy paper plate snowman! Just glue two paper plates together. Use a small paper plate for the head and a dinner sized plate for the body. Stretch out cotton balls to give it a fluffy, snow-like appearance. Then add construction paper, fabric scraps, twigs, or buttons to complete your snowman’s look. Be creative and make your snowman unique.
Try our Day and Night Preschool Lesson Plans.
Videos About Ice & Snow for Kids
Online Story – Go to YouTube (or play the video embedded below) and listen to the book The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. After listening, invite your child to share what they might do on a snowy day. Would they prefer to make a smiley snowman or a snow angel? Would they be like Peter and walk in the snow and make tracks? This is a really fun way for preschoolers to “experience” snow if they live in a warmer climate.
I’m a Little Snowman – This snowy winter song is perfect before a day learning about or playing in the snow. This video is particularly good for toddlers who are still developing their oral language skills, but preschoolers enjoy it as well. You’ll find your preschooler playing pretend after watching this video.
Winter Hokey Pokey – Get up and moving with the winter hokey pokey! Encourage your preschooler to match the movements and use their left and right hands/feet to follow along.
Winter Theme Toys for Preschoolers
These winter themed activities are great fun for your ice and snow activities! Take a look at our hand-picked winter themed learning items below.
- Tips: Our Arctic Animals set is a mini version, please refer to the size of the picture on the…
- MINI POLAR ANIMALS BIG PARTY – TOYMANY 14PCS Tiny Arctic Animal Playset includes Arctic seals,…
- REALISTIC EMULATIONAL DETAILS: This polar animal figures set was made by hand painted with high…
- ❤Winter themed sewing cards kits: the lacing cards includes 12 different winter themed cardboard…
- ❤Lacing cards size: The lacing card is about 7 x 5 inches, perfect for kids to sewing and lacing,…
- ❤Double sides sewing kit: cute winter holiday unique design, snowflake, penguin, Christmas tree,…
- A cool way to learn math
- Reinforce counting, patterning, sorting, operations and base ten
- Features ice bars that hold up to 10 penguins each
- Package quantity: there are 36 pieces of Christmas snowflake stamps with 6 different styles, 6…
- Self-inking stamper: our winter assorted snowflake stampers are all designed with colored ink…
- Various snowflake styles: come with different snowflake patterns and classic colors, you can choose…
- Create Your Own Snowflake: Get festive by building a 3D Snowflake! This toy set includes all the…
- STEM / STEAM Toy: Develop creativity, logic, and fine motor skills through hands-on play. This kit…
- Easy-to-Follow Instructions: The Snowflake Tube comes with step-by-step instructions, so even…
Get Your Free Ice & Snow Preschool Lesson Plans Here
Think these ice and snow activities will make a nice addition to your preschool winter theme lesson plans? Grab the printable version of this post by clicking the image below.
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
